How aggressive will the Avalanche get before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline?
Could the Colorado Avalanche load up before the March 7 NHL trade deadline in hopes capturing the franchise’s fourth Stanley Cup?
On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk answered a listener’s question about the Avalanche’s deadline plans and what the trade market could look like.
Tyler Yaremchuk: What are the Avs going to do? Are they done or are they still shopping for a second-line center? Could it be just wing depth?
Frank Seravalli: Not done. They’re definitely still shopping for a second-line center. They have the Gabriel Landeskog money to spend. I think winger depth is possible. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Colorado go out and get another defenseman. They brought in Ryan Lindgren, but I think that defensive core could still definitely use a boost to be closer to contender status.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Would it be fair to say that the market for defensemen is a seller’s market, but the market for forwards might be trending toward being a buyer’s market?
Frank Seravalli: I have been saying for a while that it is a buyer’s market at forward. And then people say, ‘Look at this trade for Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand! It is absolutely a seller’s market!’ And I’m like, ‘Okay, but that’s just what Julien BriseBois does.’ We didn’t even talk about Tanner Jeannot before he created a market for him and paid. Our minds have been blown at the return for almost every Tampa Bay trade that has been made as of late. It’s like he hones in on his guy, he’s got blinders on, and he goes and gets him, like, ‘I don’t really care what the price is.’ More credit to him, but I wouldn’t say that is indicative of the rest of the market. I think the relative scarcity of defensemen has ratched that up. Think about it. There really aren’t many at all right-shot guys, and there are like no right-shot rental guys available. So, it’s a tough market on that front. I look at the forward group and I say there are going to be some check-down options here. Like, someone is going to go out and get Brock Nelson, and then the teams who are also looking for a center are going to be like, ‘Well, we don’t really want to be left with nothing’, so someone is going to grab Scott Laughton. But then what happens to Ryan Donato, and the other guys? I don’t think it’s been a burgeoning market for the rest of those guys yet. GMs are sitting and waiting like, ‘How close to the deadline can we get before we put something real on the table?’
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here: